Tag: anorexia

I was searching for information on bingeing and came across this article on (News-Medical.net), where they wrote that binge eating disorder is different from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

It was stated that food addiction is not yet recognized as a mental disorder but certain obese individuals clearly display addictive-like behavior towards food. To achieve a formal diagnostic status, ‘food addiction’ requires a stronger evidence base to support the claim that certain ingredients have addictive properties identical to addictive drugs of abuse. This topic is up for debate in the session, ‘Binge eating obesity is a food addiction’.

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A fairly rare eating disorder whose signature is excessive eating – though not necessarily bingeing – at night needs further study since it may signal other mental health issues, researchers say.

They analyzed eating disorders and mental health history in more than 1,600 university students and found about 4 percent met night eating disorder criteria, with about a third of those also engaging in binge eating.

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Health experts warn of dangerous trend as survey finds women self-criticise eight times a day

I’m guilty of this, perhaps not to the degree of eight times per day, but more than I would like. When my eating disorder was at its worse a few years ago, I was fanatical with my body image, pausing in front of store windows, any type of mirror accessible, weighing myself two or three times per day. I knew this wasn’t normal, but I was ill and anorexic.

While focusing on my body image at the Eating Disorder Program, I became more mindful about why this obsession was so essential to me, who was I striving to please and was I more contented now that I dropped all of the weight?

No, I was fucking miserable now! Thinner, yet depressed. Who was I trying to please? My mother ~ I could never have pleased her anyways. It was an eye-opener, yet it has taken years and I’m still in therapy trying to deal with the impact of her harsh abuse. I have recovered from the eating disorder, yet I still have setbacks with “looking fat” and glancing in mirrors, but less often. The lack of self-confidence/self-esteem I still struggle withand it still follows me.

HEALTH experts warn women’s impulse to criticise their own bodies is dangerously intensifying after a new study found the average woman puts herself down at least eight times each day.

Social media has been blamed for driving a widespread increase in self-judgment as the survey of 2000 British women revealed one in seven were slagging themselves off frequently through the day. And many are berating themselves first thing in the morning, with half of those quizzed confessing to doing so by 9.30am.

Criticisms around appearance and weight are most prevalent, encompassing 13 of the 20 most common put-downs in the Weight Watchers study.

Being negative about one’s earnings, creativity and organisation skills, as well as deflecting compliments, also made the list.

Sydney psychologist and founder of Treat Yourself Well Louise Adams said women’s dissatisfaction with their looks acted like a constant nagging voice “from the minute they open our eyes and think about what they’re going to wear”. To make matters worse, most women were not even aware they were thinking such damaging thoughts, Ms Adams said.

“Lots of my clients are really familiar (with the narrative) but had never thought of it as self-judgment. They thought of it as the truth, and that’s really scary,” she said.

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This article was well written and appeared in The Mighty. It contains quotes from people who have experienced stigma and how they feel their life would change if only they were free to be who they are.

I wrote a similar post that would set me free from the stigma of mental illness called “Stigma – What Would Your Life Be Like?” that I would like to share. As some of you who have also experienced hell with this illness, I remain in the same boat. It’s unfair, but we must remain strong while still getting the word out about STIGMA.

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This is such a compelling article I discovered in the (The Telegraph), written by Anne Stone, who discovered her daughter at the age of 15 was cutting herself.

Self-injury, also called self-harm, is the act of deliberately harming your own body, such as cutting or burning yourself. It’s typically not meant as a suicide attempt. Rather, self-injury is an unhealthy way to cope with emotional pain, intense anger and frustration. MayoClinic.com

She went on to state that an “astonishing number of people I knew had children who were cutting themselves”. Comparing it to anorexia, she identified that it seemed to particularly affect girls, however, unlike anorexia it’s “highly visible” and she mentioned a new film exploring cutting – entitled “How I Live Now”. Continue reading →

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When I had my assessment for the Eating Disorders Program, I was asked do you ‘chew and spit’ your food?”. I considered this an odd question, answered NO, yet after researching I came to realize that is a serious ‘eating behavior’.

On Scienceofeds.org they describe the behavior and provide comments to their article. A TV programme had an entire program dedicated to this eating behavior.

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This is another Dove PR experiment to observe how women see themselves. What door would you choose – honestly? Would you feel embarrassed choosing the door “beautiful” in front of other people, or do you honestly feel that door reflects you? Why do you think most people have chosen ‘average’?

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Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a mental disorder characterized by a preoccupation with a defect in the person’s physical appearance. The defect is either imagined, or, if a slight physical anomaly is present, the individual’s concern is markedly excessive.

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Involuntary hospitalization of patients with anorexia nervosa in a severe condition is not detrimental to their recovery process and achieves similar positive results to those of patients who were willingly hospitalized. This is according to a new study conducted by the University of Haifa. “This finding is very significant and should be a milestone for further legislation of the bill allowing forced treatment of anorexia patients whose lives are at risk, which passed its initial reading in February, 2012. The bill will make the difference between life and death for these patients,” said Prof. Yael Latzer of the Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences of the University of Haifa.

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Recollecting this time last year when I was diagnosed as anorexic; I definitlely didn’t look anorexic. However, at the Eating Disorder Program, the pdoc said “you don’t have to look anorexic, to be diagnosed as anorexic”. She went on to explain, “Some people are very depressed, but you wouldn’t know it, because they don’t “look” depressed”.

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I used to think like that in my very, very obese days. You would see women under 100 lbs, unwell, thin as a stick, in hospital, their parents troubled, and question, why don’t they just eat, what’s the problem, it doesn’t make sense and so simple to solve? Eating Disorders, anorexia, bulimia and there are others.

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I gave it my all, however, I ‘threw in the towel’ so to speak at the 4th week point of the 12 week Day Eating Disorder Treatment Programme. It was demanding and rough on this old gal, a true commitment and not for the weak.

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I believe I have a love/hate relationship with my scale; sounds bizarre doesn’t it. I depend on this ridiculous thing in the morning, which allows me to feel wonderful for the day or worthless and a failure. I’d honestly wish to throw it out the window, yet I can’t, it’s become an addiction to weigh in every morning. Mind-boggling how an object made of metal with a dial and numbers can take control of your life.

Still struggling with this eating disorder, and I suppose you could say…”You really have an eating disorder when your scale is…..”

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After my diagnosis: Anorexia, it was mandatory to attend four (2 hr.) Psych Eating Disorder groups to proceed with the program. The first group was a disaster.

Eight people were seated in a circle. (This was the group? All young girls?). First off, no one except me was over 20 and here I am in my late 50’s’; I felt awkward to say the least, also, each one was ‘pencil thin’. Me, the fattest (140 lbs.), and sensing everyone thinking, “why is she here?”

I recognize this is an ED group, and do recall the intake interview phrase “you don’t have to look anorexic to have anorexia” however, it made it unpleasant. I just couldn’t concentrate on the group’s subject: nutrition.

At break time, I conveyed my feelings to the group leader who said she would try and place me in another four week group with people around my own age. I chose not to remain for the next hour and went home.

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A very profound statement and one that instantly caught my eye.

Telegraph.co.UK, reports on Caroline Horton, whose powerful play is currently touring theatres and schools throughout the UK.

She isn’t afraid to confront the aspects of anorexia and plays Josephine, in her semi-autobiographical play “Mess”, which centers around battling anorexia.

“The illness is so good at being hushed up. The people look fragile; everyone is terrified of them getting worse, terrified of them dying, desperate to say the wrong thing, desperate to help, so we all tiptoe around it.”